


about used socks under the couch, dirty dishes and other disasters

by kingwellsjaha



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, bruce is soft, casual apartment au, civil war and age of ultron did not happen, if i continue writing this is going to be a series of one shots all from the same universe, in this house we ship brucenat but age of ultron did not happen, much a do about a cat, natasha is a dry snarker, they both live an apartment and share breakfast, this is just fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 20:46:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12197112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingwellsjaha/pseuds/kingwellsjaha
Summary: In which Bruce and Natasha share an apartment somewhere in New York City, while trying to navigate their relationship, their work and being part of a team of random assholes calling themselves the Avengers. Basically having the soft epilogue they deserve.aka fluffy one shots about two adult assholes in love





	about used socks under the couch, dirty dishes and other disasters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Bruce feeds the neighbors' cat and Natasha does not know what to think about it really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seriously I never thought I would end up writing anything, but me and my flatmate are huge brucenat shippers and while we hate the way they turned out to be in AOU we just simply cannot stop talking about them.
> 
> so this is the result of staying up late at night coming up with a nice fluffy apartment au. (we also came up with an highschool au, but that one is way too much work and includes so many other pairings that just no, we're not doing that)
> 
> i think this is probably boring, nothing much happens, just Bruce and Nat having breakfast and a little argument.

Natasha has a lot of different skill sets. She can speak about 10 languages, has mastered different weapons and combat sports and can lie without even missing a beat, but probably her most refined skill is the ability to sleep. Not just sleeping at any place and anytime, but also managing to filter noise while she sleeps. If she wants to she can sleep through a storm, but she is wide awake as soon as she hears someone, all so faintly, approach her.

That’s the reason a soft purring pulls her out of her great slumber and quickens her heart pace in just about one second. It does not help that she’s confused to see an open white ceiling, then soft white bedclothes, and, as she turns her eyes slightly to the right, a handrail and beneath that the hint of a living room. Just when her eyes move to the small bedside cabinet, she realizes that she’s home and remembers getting home early in the morning. Downstairs she can hear Bruce making breakfast, while listening to the radio.

Bruce making breakfast and listening to the radio is a friendly sound, a normal one. Her eyes move down the bed to a big black spot on it. Her eyes meet two yellow ones. They stare at each other, Natasha mostly in confusion. The cat in mischief or at least that’s how most cats look like.

She calms down as her mind still wonders. Bruce downstairs is frying bacon, at least that’s what it smells like. He hums the radio tune.

Natasha breathes in.

“Bruce?”

Downstairs Bruce stops moving the spatula.

“Hey!” His voice is light and soft. He sounds absolutely happy.

“There is a cat in the apartment,”

She meets the eyes of the cat again and finds that it looks amused.

Downstairs one can only hear the sound of frying bacon and radio. Natasha raises her eyebrows.

“Yeah,” Bruce sounds subconsciously guilty, “she belongs to the neighbors.”

Then he stops as if that is any sort of explanation for why it is here.

“It’s in the bed,” Natasha comments dryly.

“Yeah.”

She’s probably not going to get anymore out of him unless she gets up. So with a sigh she moves the blankets, much to the dismay of  _ it _ . Annoyed it moves looking scandalized at her. She tries to ignore it and searches for some leggings. As a shirt she takes one of his lying over the only chair on the upper level.

The cat watches her from its place on the bed, obviously not caring about her privacy, but on the other hand it’s already on the bed, so a wish for privacy might be a little late here.

A look to her mobile phone tells her that it’s almost 12 pm and that Sam is currently making fun of Steve in the group chat. Clint has sent her about ten messages. He already had done that last night, she just had been too tired to check and Maria wants to know when she’s free. Without answering any of these message she makes her way down the stairs.

The cat follows. Natasha tries to ignore it, till it passes her on the stairs and promptly runs in front of her feet. With a sigh she watches it walking over the black carpet and making its way to the kitchen. She does just the same, turning around just as she finishes the stairs.

Bruce has turned around to her. His black hair is a mess, he wears a baggy shirt and it looks like some of the breakfast has already spilled onto it, but his face is soft when she meets it. His smile telling her how happy he is for her to finally be home.

For a moment she forgets that she has been woken up by a mischievous cat and smiles.

“Good morning,” she says softly.

Bruce turns of the radio and smiles back.

“Good morning.” He turns back to the pan and breaks a few eggs into the pan.

Natasha moves to the bar, which he has already partially decked. There are two plates with toasts smothered in butter and jam. The bag of toast is sitting right next to them surrounded by every possible thing one can put on toast. There is coffee and orange juice. She grabs the smothered butter toast and takes a bite. Her eyes move back to the cat, who has sat done next to Bruce staring up desperately.

“I didn’t know that we entertain the neighbors’ cat now.”

Bruce looks down towards it. Probably purposely avoiding her eyes. She takes another bite of her toast and watches the situation. Something in her dares him to just give it something, but he doesn’t.

“Yeah, she comes around sometimes, usually when you’re gone. She’s very persistent.”

Natasha watches the back of his head and nods. He’s clearly lying.

“Su _rrrr_ e.”

Bruce turns around the pan in hand. He looks conflicted as he puts two eggs where her toast just has been and some bacon. She simply continues watching him the rest of her toast in hand.

“She’s just very agreeable and sweet and I believe that our neighbor leaves her alone for an unreasonable amount of time. I just don’t want to let her starve.” Concentrated he puts two eggs and some bacon onto his plate.

Natasha tries not to laugh at that because he sounds like he is twelve and not forty. She shakes her head.

“It’s a cat. They always act like they are starving.” She takes a bit of bacon from his plate just because she can and eats it casually, “I believe you have been deceived.”

With a sigh he puts the pan back onto the stove.

“Maybe,” he mumbles. They finally take a seat. Natasha notices that the cat stays close to Bruce pushing itself against his leg.

It’s quiet as they both start to devour their breakfast. Natasha has the feeling that she has not eaten in weeks.

“I still don’t get why it gets to sleep in the bed though,” Natasha finally decided to continue the conversation.

Bruce looks first down to the cat then to her.

“Does that bother you?” He finally asks.

Natasha’s eyes are on the cat.

“It makes the bed dirty.”

“I change it regularly.”

“It’s unhygienic.”

“She’s a pretty clean cat.”

They exchange a glance. Natasha steals another of Bruce’s bacon bits and he lets it happen. She still has not touched her bacon.

He finally gives up and sighs.

“Look I didn’t know it would bother you and you two have nicely co-existed for more than four months now.”

“Four months?” She opens her mouth in theatrical shock, “this has been going on for four months?”

He sighs and rolls his eyes.

“Maybe a little bit less, I’m not counting,” he continues to stare at her, “you’re just riling me up for the sake of it, don’t you?” He finally gets to the point of eating his toast. Natasha is focusing on her eggs.

“Partially, but I also don’t like being woken on a day I don’t have to get up early. Also cats in general are not trustworthy, they come and go as they please. They don’t care as long as they get food. They don’t have a conscience unlike dogs.”

She dips a breadstick into the egg yolk. Bruce is chewing carefully as he watches her talk.

“How much do you think it cares for you? It comes only for the warmth and for the food, and maybe some tender loving care, but before you even know it, it’s out again, doing what cats are doing.”

A faint smile appears on his face and she knows that he’s only listening with half an ear. She sighs.

“I missed you,” he states and gets up. She watches as he opens the cupboard taking out a tuna can and opening it. The cat follows mewing softly. Natasha watches it mockingly. He scraps the tuna out of its can and into a small bowl, proceeding to put it down onto the floor.

The cat moves towards it gingerly starting to eat quickly.

“I will get her out of the apartment after this,” he explains after sitting back onto the chair.

“You better,” Natasha answers, but isn’t totally serious. She kind of gets the appeal of it, even though it’s way to furry for her taste.

“She’s really not that bad,” Bruce adds because he has to save the honour of the cat apparently, “and I think she likes you a little bit already.”

That Natasha somehow doubts, but she does not say anything against it.

“I mean,” she finally admits, “I cannot judge it for coming to you at irregular hours, sleeping in your bed and demanding food, would be kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?”

Bruce smiles at that. “Does that mean you also sleep at the neighbors, whenever it pleases you?”

“No,” she pats his hand and grins, “I did that when you still lived in your old apartment. I’m not saying I am her now, I’m just saying that I was her and therefore relate.”

The ‘her’ indicated Natasha’s partial acceptance. Bruce looks thoughtful.

“My old neighbors were a bunch of gamer dudes, you realize that.”

Natasha takes her cup. “Yeah, they were really good with her hands.” She raises the cup to her lips and takes a few sips, while Bruce rubs his eyes.

“Images in my head, please leave me.”

That’s when Natasha starts to laugh loudly. Unlike Bruce she does not say it, but it’s clear to both of them that she has missed him too because she gets up and moves across the counter to hug him. He pulls her closer and breathes into her shoulder. She does the same smelling shampoo and bacon.

“It’s good to be back,” she whispers. Bruce hums in agreement.

In this moment her eyes move back to the cat who has stopped eating and is looking at both of them.

_ Don’t ruin it _ , Natasha warns her silently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i headcanon Nat as that type of person, who is so much alike a cat and therefor always leans more towards dogs. (and Bruce the other way around). have i already told you that i have not read an entire comic in my life and hate the mcu universe?
> 
> anyways, i hope that was partially enjoyable


End file.
